1. Field of the Invention
The present invention resides in the field of containers for aging wine and more particularly relates to an apparatus and method for maintaining such containers in a full state, thereby protecting the wine from harmful oxidation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Oxidation of wine during its aging process can affect its taste, color, composition, and quality. Prevention of oxidation and spoilage, which results from prolonged air contact, are of prime concern during the wine-aging process. In that process, wine can be lost due to contraction of the wood in wooden barrels causing seepage of the wine between the staves and resulting in air pockets forming above the top surface of the wine. It is a common practice in the prior art to reduce air exposure during the aging process by manually adding wine to top off the wine containers, barrels, casks, or vessels. This manual topping-off process is time-consuming as it requires a person to remove the bung from the bung hole of each wine barrel and check the wine level and, if needed, add wine to each barrel.
Other methods for reducing oxidation include introducing nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas into the head space above the wine, as taught in Jandrich U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,884, but this method does not work with containers having porous walls, such as wood barrels. Some inventions provide for an inflatable bladder which fits inside the wine barrel. When the wine level subsides, water or air from a reservoir flows, or is pumped, into the bladder, raising the level of the wine and reducing the presence of trapped air above the wine. Examples of such inventions are Engebreth U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,115 and Sullivan U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,098.